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Sae-a

2e mi
BROOM-CORN

CULTURE

By
A. G. McCALL
Proftoot of Agronomy in the College of Agriculture
Ohio State University

ILLUSTRATED

NEW YORK
ORANGE JUDD COMPANY
LONDON
KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRUBNER & CO., Limited
1912
 Copyright, 1912, by
ORANGE JUDD COMPANY
All Rlthlt .

Entered at Stationers' Hall

LONDON. ENGLAND

Pr1nted 1n U. S. A.
 PREFACE

This little book is written in response to a demand

for information concerning the culture of broom-
corn.
For this information the author has drawn upon
his own experience in growing the crop, and has
supplemented this with the recent experience of
practical growers and experiment station workers.
The writer is indebted to Mr. C. P. Hartley of the
United States Department of Agriculture and to
several experiment stations for photographs and
other material used in the preparation of this
volume.
A. G. McCall.
Columbus, Ohio, 1912.

rvi70;3574
 CONTENTS

Chapter Page
I. Production of Broom-Corn I

II. The Broom-Corn Plant 6

III. Soil and Climatic Conditions 12

IV. Date and Method of Planting 16

V. The Importance of Good Seed 20

VI. Testing the Vitality of the Seed 25

VII. Enemies of Broom-Corn 27

VIII. Harvesting Broom-Corn 29

IX. Broom-Corn By-Products 47

X. The Manufacture of Brooms 49

 ILLUSTRATIONS

Figure Page
Map showing yield of broom-corn in the United
States Frontispiece
1. Characteristic heads of sorghums 7
2. Desirable seed heads of the dwarf and standard
types 8
3. Good and poor heads of broom-corn 10
4. Coarse imported brush and good domestic heads 9
5. A good sample of broom-corn from Kentucky 11
6. Sorghum, broom-corn and a cross between the two 21
7. Undesirable brush 23
8. Tabling broom-corn in advance of the cutters 30
9. The tabled broom-corn ready for cutting 32
10. The brush cut and laid on the table 34
11. Dump wagon for hauling the brush from the field 36
12. Small power scraper for removing the seed from the
brush 37
13. Threshing broom-cofn with a large power scraper.. 38
14. Curing shed for broom-corn 40
15. Interior of a shed in which light poles are used for
shelves 41
16. Baling the crop 42
17. A well-constructed bale of broom-corn as it was
received at the factory 44
18. Dwarf broom-corn in the shock 46
19. Tread-power machine for the manufacture of brooms
by hand 51
20. Broom-corn sizer for assorting the brush according
to length 52
21. Broom-winding machine used in large factories 54
22. Broom-stitcher 56
23. Clipper for trimming the ends of the brooms 57
24. Small power scraper with fan for carrying away the
seeds and dust 58:
 CHAPTER I

PRODUCTION OF BROOM-CORN

Broom-corn is grown almost exclusively in

America. In former times the Mohawk Valley in
New York and the rich first bottom lands of Ohio
and adjacent states supplied the market demand for
this crop. But with the opening of the west the
center of production has shifted, and Oklahoma has
taken first rank among the states in the production
of broom-corn, with an acreage more than five times
as great as any other state.
According to the Thirteenth Census (1909) there
are now eight states each of which produces more
than 300,000 pounds of brush annually. A list of
the states, with their acreage, yield and production
is given in Table 1, on the following page.
At the present time the amount of broom-corn
grown in New York and Ohio is quite small. From
an inspection of the production table it will be seen
that the yield per acre is very much larger in some
states than in others. Illinois, with a planting of
38,450 acres, produced more than twice as many
pounds of brush as Kansas, with a planting of 40,-
065 acres, and almost half as many pounds as Okla
homa, whose planting is almost six times as exten
sive. Of the states producing more than 300,000
pounds of brush, California has the highest yield
per acre, while the lowest yield is found in New
Mexico.
2 BROOM-CORN CULTURE

TABLE I.- STATEMENT SHOWING THE NUMBER OF

FARMS, NUMBER OF ACRES, NUMBER OF POUNDS, AND
VALUE OF BROOM-CORN, BY STATES, FOR THE
CROP YEAR I909. CENSUS OF I9IO.
State Number Acres Yield Value
of farms (pounds)
Alabama 115 52 17,910 1,562
1 14 6,000 400
294 332 106,576 8,198
California 24 1,023 614,250 32,509
Colorado 240 5,631 1,187,791 71,717
Connecticut 2 150 14
21 "l3 4,198 492
8 22 7,067 694
Illinois 1,851 38,452 19,309,425 1,457,172
Indiana 335 323 153,259 13.461
Iowa 49 156 75,370 6,670
Kansas 1,728 41,064 8,768,853 593,947
Kentucky 1,041 342 157,286 13,641
263 320 92,208 7,285
Maryland 291 19 18,599 2,006
Massachusetts 2 2 2,160 168
Michigan 9 4 2,200 233
Minnesota 13 13 10,259 738
Mississippi 43 154 60,574 5,548
Missouri 1,225 5,339 1,774,536 115,243
Nebraska 51 458 157,146 11,116
New Jersey 10 11 6,760 658
New Mexico 368 4,470 644,892 33,492
10 2 1,001 97
North Carolina 128 15 6,493 549
3 18 7,250 725
Ohio 383 170 92,292 9,116
Oklahoma 10,151 216,350 42,741,725 2,559,235
Pennsylvania 727 108 45,582 6,253
South Carolina 2 650 63
South Dakota 14 64 35,400 3,408
Tennessee 2,220 1,348 347,064 27,733
Texas ^531 9,448 2,368,490 140,533
Utah 1 200 12
Virginia 666 "l07 46,016 3,586
Washington 5 183 45,040 2,905
West Virginia 397 45 30,456 3,229
Wisconsin 12 28 14,830 1,026
Total 23,238 326,102 78,959,958 $6,134,434

According to the Eleventh Census there were grown

in the United States in 1889, 93,425 acres of broom-
corn, which produced a total of 39,557,429 pounds of
brush. By 1899 the planting had been increased to
 PRODUCTION OF BROOM-CORN 3

178,584 acres, with a total production of 90,947,370

pounds, or an average yield of 509 pounds per acre.
In 1909 the planting was 326,102 acres, which pro
duced 78,959,958 pounds of brush, valued at
$5.I34,434-
Of the total crop produced in the United States
in 1879, the states of Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, New
York, Nebraska, Ohio and Iowa furnished 94 per
cent.
In 1889, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri
produced 89 per cent of the total crop.
In 1899, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma,
Nebraska, Texas, Iowa, California and Tennessee
produced 96 per cent of the crop. Of these states
California gave the highest yield, 686 pounds per
acre, and Oklahoma the lowest yield, 276 pounds.
In 1909, four states, Oklahoma, Illinois, Kansas
and Texas, produced 93 per cent of the entire broom-
corn crop of the United States.
Table 2, on the page following, gives the acreage
and production for the years 1889, 1899 an^ 1909, of
all of the states growing more than 100 acres.
A comparison of the acreage and production for
individual years reveals a great variation, accom
panied by a great fluctuation in price. The high
price of $150 to $200 a ton which the crop sometimes
commands offers good profit to the successful
grower. His success induces a large number of
poorly equipped farmers to plant, with the result
that a large quantity of inferior brush is thrown
upon the market the following year. The poor
quality of the crop is due to the inexperience of the
 4 BROOM-CORN CULTURE

TABLE 2. ACREAGE AND PRODUCTION FOR THE YEARS

1889, 1899, AND I909 OF ALL STATES AND
TERRITORIES GROWING MORE THAN IOO
ACRES OF BROOM-CORN.
Acres j Pounds
State or Territory
1909 1899 1889 1 1909 1899 1889
Alabama 52 152 61 17,910 56,290 25,698
Arkansas 332 879 135 106,576 304,690 52,701
California 1,023 1,669 815 614,250 1,146,000 611,975
Colorado 5,631 1,241 301 1,187,791 226,550 60,165
Florida 34 171 3,390 196,820
Illinois 38^452 95,137 34,340 19,309,425 60,665,520 15,932,502
Indiana 323 815 413 153,259 384,170 167,231
Indian Territory.. 397 147,020
Iowa "l56 2,220 l",108 75,370" 1,178,130 667",072
Kansas 41,064 34,383 30,717 8,768,853 11,813,310 10,869,434
Kentucky 342 839 195 157,286 384,550 93,063
Louisiana 320 107 24 92,208 41,120 11,420
Minnesota 13 149 80 10,259 76,960 42,090
Mississippi 154 214 41 60,574 143,750 24,776
Missouri 5,339 10,219 2,618 1,774,536 3,693,370 1,051,139
Nebraska 458 6,627 16,792 157,1(6 2,733,290 6,514,763
New Mexico 4,470 14 102 644,892 5,800 24,500
New York 2 356 993 1,001 201,060 450,380
Ohio... 170 802 1,574 92,292 537,160 801,957
Oklahoma 216,350 12,366 59 42,741,725 3,418,490 16,550
Pennsylvania 108 221 57 45,582 114,610 36,319
South Dakota 64 239 237 35,400 100,570 117,200
Tennessee 1,343 3,444 1,439 347,064 1,015,460 409,436
Texas 9,448 3,743 596 2,368,490 1,638,150 315,741
Virginia 107 1,762 140 46,016 663,390 43,159
183 45,040
Wisconsin 28 "64 i57 14,830 38,850 92,468

grower and his inability to take care of the brush.

The marked decline in price which follows this over
production of low-grade material discourages many
farmers, and the acreage is greatly reduced for the
next season.
In 1881, Illinois grew 17,800 acres, and the aver
age price received for the crop was $128 a ton. The
year following, 43,000 acres were planted and the
price declined to $80 a ton. This low price prevailed
until 1891, when, with a planting of 15,800 acres,
 PRODUCTION OF BROOM-CORN 5

the price went up to $117 a ton. An increased acre

age the following year sent the price down to $94.
In 1909 the partial failure of the crop in Oklahoma
sent the price up to more than $200 a ton and neces
sitated the importation of a small amount of brush
from Europe.
Practically all of the broom-corn produced in the
United States is made into brooms in this country.
The export trade amounts to about $425,000 a year,
of which a very large share is with Canada and
Cuba. The shipment of broom-corn from this coun
try has increased from $240,164 in 1906 to $424,484
in 1910.
 CHAPTER II
THE BROOM-CORN PLANT
Broom-corn belongs to the great group of plants
known as the grass family. Within the grass family
are a large number of groups, one of which is known
as the sorghums. The sorghums are divided into
three groups: (1) Kafir corn, grown for forage and
for grain; (2) common sweet sorghum, used for
making syrup; and (3) broom-corn, the brush or
seed head of which is used in the manufacture of
brooms.
Broom-corn differs from the other plants of the
sorghum group in having the seed borne on long
straight branches, which constitute the brush from
which the brooms are made.
In all probability these three different groups of
sorghums have been derived, by selection, from a
common ancestry. Sorghums have been cultivated
in Italy for eighteen hundred years or more, and it
is thought that the broom-corn type originated in
that country by the continual selection of the sweet
sorghum heads which bore elongated branches.
The first record of this plant having been used for
the manufacture of brooms is from an Italian source.
Varieties.There are two recognized agricultural
varieties of broom-corn, the dwarf and the standard.
The dwarf type produces leafy stalks 3 to 6 feet
in height, with a brush 10 to 18 inches long. The
head, or brush, is partially inclosed in the upper
leaf sheath or boot.
 THE BROuM-CORN PLANT 7

The standard type grows to a height of 10 to 15

feet and produces a brush 18 to 24 inches in length,
which grows out beyond the leaf sheath.

Fig. 1. Characteristic heads of sorghum. A, broom-corn; B, sweet sor

ghum; and C, kafir corn.
The brush of the standard type is used for mak
ing large carpet and stable brooms, while the fine
brush from the dwarf corn is used largely for the
manufacture of small hearth brooms and whisk
brooms for clothing. For making large brooms the
dwarf corn is not so desirable as the standard type,
because the straws are weak and less durable, but
8 BROOM-CORN CULTURE

Fig. 2. Desirable seed heads of the dwarf (A) and the standard (B) types.
 THE BROOM-CORN PLANT 9

for whisk brooms the demand is for straw that is

fine, straight, tough, elastic and of a uniform green
color without red tints.
The dwarf type does not produce as heavy a yield
of brush as the standard, but the former commands
a very much higher price on the market.
Standard and dwarf heads exhibiting desirable
and undesirable characteristics are shown in Figure
3. Dwarf heads, inclosed
in the upper leaf sheath,
are shown at A and B, while
C represents a dwarf head of
fine quality of brush. Con
trasted with this is the large
dwarf head D, which is
weak at the attachment of
the straws. The other heads
shown in the drawing repre
sent good and poor grades
of standard heads.
Occasionally, when the
domestic supply is not equal
to the demand, a small quan
tity of foreign grown brush
is imported. The imported Fig.brush 4. Coarse imported
(A) and good domes
material has coarse, brittle, tic heads (B). The former
is used in the manufacture
straw, as shown at A in of coarse stable brooms.
Figure 4. It is used in the manufacture of coarse
heavy stable brooms, and to some extent it is
worked into the centers of the low-grade house
brooms.
Our seedsmen sell broom-corn seed under several
 THE BROOM-CORN PLANT II

different varietal names, some of which are as fol

lows: Improved Evergreen, Tennessee Evergreen,
Missouri Evergreen,
Imported Evergreen,
California Golden, Lit
tle Dwarf, Dwarf Em
erald and Mohawk.
Several of our experi
ment stations are con
ducting variety tests
of broom-corn, but
these have not been
conducted for a suffi
cient length of time to
be of practical value.
The quality of the Fig. 5. A good sample of broom-
corn from Kentucky, which took
brush from which the first place at the National Corn
Exposition (1911) at Columbus,
seed was selected and Ohio.
the quality of the seed itself is of more importance to
the purchaser than the varietal name under which
the seed is sold.
 CHAPTER III

SOIL AND CLIMATIC CONDITIONS

A soil that will produce a good crop of corn is

well suited to the production of standard broom-
corn. A lighter, sandy soil is better adapted to the
production of the dwarf type. The rich corn soils
have a tendency to produce a coarse brush, while the
light sandy loams produce, when planted to the
dwarf varieties, a short, fine, tough brush which is
in great demand for the manufacture of fine whisk
brooms.
For the production of a good crop of long stand
ard brush a fertile soil is required, but the rich bot
tom lands that are subjected to overflow should be
avoided, because the weeds will give trouble during
the early part of the season when the broom-corn
is making slow growth. Soils that are badly in
fested with weeds should not be planted to this crop,
because of the large amount of hand labor that will
be necessary to keep the weeds in check until the
plants are large enough to cultivate.
The production of high-grade broom-corn, how
ever, is more dependent upon climatic conditions
than upon the character of the soil upon which it is
grown. The plant is of a subtropical origin and does
best in a warm, sunny, climate where there is suffi
cient moisture during the early part of the season
to produce a rapid, healthy growth. It is very essen
12
 SOIL AND CLIMATIC CONDITIONS 13

tial, however, that dry weather prevail at harvest

time, in order that the brush may be dried rapidly
and in a manner that will enable it to retain its fresh
green color. Localities in which frequent rains
occur at the time when the brush should be har
vested will be found unsuited to the production of
broom-corn. Rain at the time the plants are ripen
ing will cause some of the heads to turn red and thus
materially reduce the quality of the brush. Ex
posure to rain after the heads are cut causes the
straw to lose its fresh, green color and to take on a
yellow, bleached appearance. Hence it is practically
impossible to produce a crop of good quality unless
dry weather prevails during the normal ripening
and harvesting period.
Taking both soil and climatic conditions into con
sideration, it is found that the rich prairie soils of
the middle West are well suited to the production of
the standard type of broom-corn, and that the light,
dry soils of the semiarid regions of Kansas and
Oklahoma are well adapted to the production of the
dwarf types.
Since such a comparatively small area is devoted
to broom-corn, it would be a very easy matter to "
increase the acreage devoted to the crop and stay
within favorable soil and climatic bounds. But
since the market demand for the brush is limited,
it is not probable that the area devoted to broom-
corn culture will be greatly increased in the near
future.
The development of the broom-corn industry
should be in the direction of better cultural methods
14 BROOM-CORN CULTURE

and the production of a superior quality of brush, to

meet the demands of the manufacturer for a high-
grade material of uniform quality.
The Choice of Land.Broom-corn will permit of
later planting than most of the principal crops,
and for this reason it is sometimes advisable to use
it as a gap crop for replacing corn, oats or other
cereals that have failed to make a good start.
As a rule, however, careful attention should be
given to the selection of the land to be devoted to
broom-corn. It is quite essential that the soil of the
field should be of uniform fertility and free from
weeds. A foul piece of land planted to this crop
will require a great amount of labor to keep the
weeds from choking the young plants, since the
broom-corn makes a very slow growth for the first
two or three weeks until it gets its root system out
into the soil.
In localities where broom-corn is grown quite
generally, it should be made to take a permanent
place in the regular system of crop rotation. The
grower can then afford to supply himself with dry
ing sheds, scrapers, a baling press and other equip
ment necessary for the proper handling of the crop.
It is unwise to make broom-corn the principal
crop, as is sometimes done in Illinois, Kansas and
Oklahoma. It is much safer to devote only a part
of the farm to this crop and hold the brush until
the market permits of a profitable sale. If broom-
corn is grown exclusively, the holding of the brush
for a higher price will entail a large financial burden,
and in addition to this, the work of the farm will be
 SOIL AND CLIMATIC CONDITIONS 15

very unevenly distributed throughout the year, and

it will be extremely difficult to secure sufficient help
to harvest the crop and get the brush properly cured.
Preparation of the Seedbed.The plowing and
the preparation of the soil for broom-corn should
be practically the same as for corn. Winter or very
early spring plowing is advisable in order that the
land may retain the moisture derived from the early
spring rains, and that the soil may be worked down
thoroughly in order to sprout and destroy the weed
seeds that are in the surface soil. This is quite es
sential because of the fact that the broom-corn plant
makes very slow growth for several weeks after it
comes through the soil, and unless the weed seeds
have been sprouted and destroyed a great deal of
extra labor will be necessary to keep the weeds
down until the plants are large enough to permit
of effective cultivation.
The seedbed should be worked down to a fine,
mellow condition by the liberal use of the disk har
row, the roller and the smoothing harrow. Stalks,
coarse manure or other trash should be removed or
cut into small pieces with the disk and worked into
the soil, since their presence at the surface will in
terfere seriously with the early cultivation of the
plants. The fine, mellow seedbed is necessary in
order to secure a uniform stand of plants, and to
insure a prompt and early destruction of weeds.
 CHAPTER IV

DATE AND METHOD OF PLANTING

In Illinois and in the other states of the middle

West, broom-corn is planted from the middle of
May until the middle of June and harvested in about
ninety days from the date of planting. Where a
very extensive acreage is grown the fields are planted
at intervals of a week or ten days, in order to pro
vide ample time for the harvesting of each field
while the plants are at the proper stage of maturity.
The best date for planting will depend upon the
climatic conditions and upon the season, but under
no conditions should the seed be placed in the
ground until the soil is warm enough to insure the
prompt sprouting of the seed.
Broom-corn will not stand as early planting as
corn, for if the seed is placed in a cold soil it will
germinate very poorly and give an irregular stand
of weak plants. The fact that it requires later plant
ing than corn is a point in favor of the growing of
broom-corn, since it permits of a more satisfactory
and equitable distribution of the spring work.
Method of Planting.In some regions it may be
necessary and desirable to time the planting with
reference to the weather conditions at harvest time
in order to secure a dry season, during which the
proper curing of the brush may be effected. In Cali
fornia the planting is made about one month earlier
16
 DATE AND METHOD OF PLANTING IJ

than in Illinois, in order to have the crop ready for

harvest at a time when dry weather is most likely
to prevail.
If equipped with special broom-corn plates, the
ordinary corn planter may be used for planting the
seed. If the special plates are not available, the
holes in the plates used for planting corn may be
run full of melted lead and then bored out to the
proper size for distributing the broom-corn seed at
the proper rate.
For standard broom-corn the rows should be
about 2>Vi feet apart and the plants in the rows
approximately 3 inches apart, while for the dwarf
type the rows should be 3 feet apart and the plants
in the rows about 2 inches apart.
Broom-corn is sometimes planted in hills for con
venience in hoeing and cultivating. In this case the
hills are spaced about 16 to 18 inches apart in the
rows, with five or six stalks of standard or eight
to ten stalks of the dwarf type to the hill. Three or
four pounds of good seed is sufficient to plant an
acre. This rate of planting will apply to fertile
corn soils. If the land is thin and lacking in fer
tility, the plants should be farther apart in the
drills and a fewer number of stalks should be left
in the hills.
Every effort should be made to secure an even
stand, in order that the crop shall be of uniform
quality, but the practice of planting a large excess
of seed is to be condemned, since the grower fre
quently neglects to thin his plants to the proper
stand. In fact, the thinning process is a very labori
i8 BROOM-CORN CULTURE

ous task, and frequently takes more time than would

be required to plant the field a second time in event
of a partial failure of the seed of the first planting.
The best practice is to plant the exact quantity of
good seed; then, if conditions are such that a good
stand is not secured, the entire field can be culti
vated, harrowed and planted again. On heavy clay
soils the seed should be covered to a depth of one-
half inch, but on light sandy loams one inch of soil
over the seed will do no harm.
Care should be taken to have a sufficient amount
of moisture in the surface soil at planting time to
insure prompt germination. It is sometimes advis
able to roll the ground after planting to bring the
soil in close contact with the seed and to induce the
movement of the moisture from the subsoil up into
the seedbed.
Cultivation.Cultivation must be commenced
early and repeated frequently, to prevent weeds
from getting the start of the slow-growing young
plants. As hoeing and hand weeding are too ex
pensive, large weeders, harrows, and very narrow-
shoveled cultivators, with fenders to keep the soil
off the plants, are employed until the plants attain
a height of about a foot, after which they grow rap
idly and will thrive with the same cultivation as does
corn. Many find it advisable to harrow lengthwise
with the rows with a sharp-toothed harrow just as
the plants are coming up. With a wide harrow and
plenty of horse-power this operation is quickly
accomplished.
The plants will probably be large enough to per
 DATE AND METHOD OF PLANTING 19

mit of the use of a regular corn cultivator in 15 to

20 days after planting if favorable weather condi
tions prevail.
Level culture is most satisfactory from the be
ginning till the crop is laid by, and will leave the *
field in good condition for harvesting. Cultivations
should be frequent enough to keep the soil from
becoming crusted and hard, for in this condition the
moisture passes off most quickly, leaving the soil
dry and the soluble salts or plant food at the sur
face and entirely out of reach of the roots of the
plants. An inch or two of finely divided soil or dust
serves as a thick blanket in conserving the moisture
and keeping the dissolved plant food accessible to
the roots. Late in the season the soil may be stirred
with a one-horse cultivator by going once in a row
with this implement. For this work it should be
equipped with a number of small shovels. This
practice is not common in the broom-corn sections,
but since it gives good results in the cultivation of
corn, it should be equally effective in broom-corn
culture.
 CHAPTER V
THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD SEED
The matter of good seed is one of great impor
tance to the grower of broom-corn, since the quality
and uniformity of the brush is dependent upon the
quality of the seed as well as upon the character of
the soil. When the crop is harvested for the brush,
the seed, removed by the scraper in the preparation
of the crop for market, is useless for planting be
cause of its immature condition and its low germi
nating power.
The farmer who is engaging in broom-corn cul
ture in a new locality should secure seed from sev
eral sources, and plant each lot of seed in a sepa
rate patch located some distance from any other
broom-corn. It is necessary that these test plots be
placed some rods apart to prevent the cross fertili
zation of the plants during the flowering period and
the consequent mixing of the different varieties.
While in the blooming period the plots should be
harvested, leaving in each a few choice plants to
mature seed. The different lots of brush should be
compared, and the superior plants growing upon the
plot producing the best brush should be allowed to
ripen and produce the seed for planting the follow
ing season. This will enable the grower to judge
as to the adaptability of the different strains to his
locality and will give him the assurance that his
seed came from none but good individual plants.
20
 THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD SEED 21

If the isolated plots cannot be secured, the differ

ent strains may be tested side by side in separate
rows, provided some of the original seed is saved
for future planting. In this case no
seed would be saved from the test
plots, since it would show mixture.
Experienced growers may greatly
improve the quality of the brush
they are producing by exercising
greater care in the selection of seed.
This is particularly true in localities
where farmers are growing the
three different classes of sorghums,
namely, kafir corn for grain and for
age, sweet sorghum for syrup and
the broom-corn for the brush.
These different plants hybridize or
cross with each other quite readily
when grown in the same or in adja
Fig. 6. The head
cent fields. Sweet sorghum crossed to the right is
sorghum, while
with broom-corn loses much of its that to the left
is a good head
value for syrup making, and kafir of broom-corn.
Between the two
corn, when mixed with broom-corn, is an intermedi
ate form, the re
has its value for forage greatly im sult of a cross
between sweet
paired. When broom-corn seed be sorghum and
broom-corn.
comes crossed with the other
sorghums, the quality of the brush will be poor.
Figure 6 shows three heads selected from a field
of sorghum being grown for forage on a farm where
broom-corn is a regular crop. The head shown to
the right is a black-seeded sorghum and to the left
is seen a good head of broom-corn. The head in the
22 BROOM-CORN CULTURE

center is a cross between the sweet sorghum and the

broom-corn and exhibits characters of color and
form intermediate between the parent forms.
It is important, therefore, that the grower keep
his seed pure and free from mixture with the plants
belonging to the other groups of the sorghum fam
ily. Furthermore, it is important that the grower
select his seed exclusively from plants producing
fine, straight, tough, elastic straws, for the crop
grown from seed produced by any particular plant
will be much like the parent. If the seed head is
coarse with a large central stem or twisted straws,
as shown in Figure 7, many heads of a like kind
will be found among its progeny. Of course, the
most carefully selected seed will not produce all
good heads, because of the influence of more remote
ancestors of poor quality, but careful selection of
seed from year to year will greatly reduce the num
ber of poor individuals, provided the crossing with
other varieties is prevented.
It is a common practice to allow a portion of the
general crop to ripen and produce the seed for the
following year. A separate seed patch will involve
more labor, but it will be much more satisfactory
in the end. Such a patch should be planted each
year with the seed from the choicest plants of the
seed plot of the previous season and should be suffi
cient in size to permit the grower to reject a large
number of plants and yet have a sufficient number
of individuals left to produce the required amount
of seed. The careful breeder will often find it de
sirable to reject ten plants for every one which he
 THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD SEED 23

selects for seed. All seed that is intended for the

same field should be selected from plants that have
ripened at the same time, in order to avoid the an
noyance of having a part of
the plants ready to harvest
before others have reached
the proper stage of maturity.
In the principal seed-pro
ducing sections the crop is
harvested in September.
The yield varies from 1,500
to 2,500 pounds to the acre,
from which there will be a
loss of about 25 per cent
when the seed is recleaned.
Good clean seed should
weigh 45 to 55 pounds to the
measured bushel. The legal
weight per bushel is quite
variable, ranging from 30 Fig.ing7. Urge Undesirable brush hav
central stems and
twisted
pounds in Oklahoma to 42 be selected straws. Seed should
from plants pro
pounds in Tennessee and 57 ducing fine, straight straws.
If seed is selected from heads
pounds in Minnesota. like the above, many heads of
a like kind will be found
Where the seed is grown among the progeny.
commercially, it is removed from the plant by means
of a power stripper, recleaned and stored in bulk ;
but when the grower has his own seed patch,
the seed is best stored in the head. This may be
done by piling the heads in a loose heap or by bunch
ing a number of heads together and suspending
them from the rafters of the attic or crib by means
of a wire or a stout twine. If the heads are handled
24 BROOM-CORN CULTURE

in this way and threshed out shortly before plant

ing time, the grower will be assured of a good quality
of seed. Suspending the heads will protect the seed
from rats and mice and avoid any danger from the
heating and molding which might occur when the
brush is stored in a heap on the floor.
 CHAPTER VI

TESTING THE VITALITY OF THE SEED

No grower can afford to plant seed that has not

been tested for vitality. If the seed has been well
cared for and gives a germination test of 95 per cent,
one bushel will be sufficient to plant 16 to 20 acres.
If it can be avoided, no seed should be planted that
tests below 90 per cent. The use of seed of low
vitality results in an irregular stand, with the result
that plants standing alone will produce a coarse
brush of poor quality, while the crowded plants will
be stunted and irregular in their development.
Two dinner plates and a piece of heavy flannel
cloth make a convenient tester. One hundred seeds
are selected at random and placed between the folds
of the moistened cloth. The cloth is placed in one
of the plates, and the other plate inverted over the
top to prevent the cloth from drying out too rapidly.
The tester is then placed where the temperature
during the day will be 70 degrees to 80 degrees Fah
renheit, and will fall to 50 degrees during the night.
In three or four days the seed should begin to
sprout. The tester is examined at intervals and the
sprouted grains are removed after having been
counted and recorded. If at the end of 10 or 12 days
there remain ten or more seeds that have not
sprouted, the lot of seed from which the seed was
taken is not fit for planting and should be rejected.
as
26 BROOM-CORN CULTURE

A corn germinator or a cigar box filled with sand

will serve equally as well for testing the seed. Fill
the box to within one inch of the top with moist sand
and distribute the 100 seeds uniformly over the sur
face of the sand. Cover the seed to a depth of one-
half inch with a layer of moist sand, keep moist,
and at the end of 10 or 12 days count the number of
plants growing up from the sand. The sand box
method is to be preferred, since the conditions ob
tained are more nearly like the field than those
secured by the use of the cloth and the plates.
 CHAPTER VII
ENEMIES OF BROOM-CORN
Weeds are very troublesome in broom-corn cul
ture on account of the slow early growth of the
plants. For this reason the crop should be planted
on clean ground if possible, and every precaution
should be taken to keep the weeds in check until
the plants are several inches high.
Broom-corn is sometimes attacked by a smut
(Sphacelotheca sorghi) which does great damage by
filling the seed heads with a mass of black spores.
This injures the brush as well as destroys the seed.
Like the smut of wheat this disease is transmitted
through the seed and may be controlled by the use
of formalin or by the hot water treatment.
For the formalin treatment mix four ounces or
one-fourth of a pint of formalin (40 per cent) with
10 gallons of water. This will make a sufficient
quantity of the solution to treat 10 or 12 bushels of
seed.
Place seed to be treated on clean-swept, tight floor
in piles of convenient size to be stirred throughout.
Sprinkle the formalin solution from sprinkling
can or nozzle upon the pile, stirring to bottom of
pile, until all possible is absorbed. After a few min
utes' interval repeat the operations of sprinkling and
stirring ; these are again repeated until at least three
quarts of solution per bushel of grain has been
absorbed. One gallon per bushel is not too much.
27
28 BROOM-CORN CULTURE

The pile is then covered with cloth or canvas for

about two hours ; the covering is then removed and
the grain stirred at intervals by shoveling over to
dry it. It is then ready to plant at any time.
In handling treated grain do not get it again
smutted. The shovel, the drill, the grain bags and
any other portions of floor used should be sterilized
by use of the formalin solution. The bags may be
soaked in it for half an hour and the others treated
by sprinkling.
If preferred, the bags of grain may be dipped in the
formalin solution contained in a suitable vessel ;
after thorough immersing the bags should be left in
the formalin for 10 minutes, then withdrawn, the
grain allowed to stand 2 hours in the bags and then
spread to dry on a sterile surface.
A less convenient method, but just as effective to
kill smut, is to dip the bags of grain for 10 minutes
in hot water at a temperature of 133 degrees Fahren
heit, then dry on sterilized surface.
The chinch bug and the plant louse are the prin
cipal insect enemies of broom-corn. Crop rotation
and the cleaning up and burning of all rubbish in the
fields and fence rows will usually hold these enemies
in check.
 CHAPTER VIII

HARVESTING BROOM-CORN

Time to Harvest.To secure brush of high qual

ity and good green color the plants should be
harvested while in bloom and during the period
when the anthers are falling. When cut at this
stage of maturity practically no seed is secured, so
it becomes necessary to leave a sufficient number
of plants in the field to ripen for seed, or to grow
a separate seed patch in which the heads are allowed
to come to full maturity. The latter method of
seed production is to be preferred, since the seed
patch gives a better opportunity to exercise care in
the selection of good seed plants.
In the states where broom-corn is grown exten
sively the crop will be ready to harvest at a time
when it will not seriously interfere with the other
work ; that is, just after the wheat and oats are out
of the way and before the corn is ready to harvest.
Where large areas are devoted to broom-corn a very
large force of men is necessary to get the crop har
vested while it is at the proper stage of maturity.
However, if several plantings are made at intervals
of ten days, the fields will not blossom at the same
time and the plants may be harvested at the proper
time with the minimum number of extra men.
In California and in a few other sections the seeds
are allowed to ripen before the brush is harvested.
29
 HARVESTING BROOM-CORN 31

By this means about one ton of seed to the acre

may be secured, but the quality of the brush is such
that it rarely brings more than half the market
price of good green brush which has been harvested
at the early bloom stage. The seed secured in this
manner is used as feed for hogs and poultry and is
sometimes ground into a fine meal and used as a
breadstuff.
The practice of growing broom-corn for grain
production is of doubtful value, since a much better
crop can be secured by seeding the land to kafir corn,
a crop which has been improved and developed for
seed production.
The harvesting of broom-corn comprises three
operations: (i) cutting or pulling; (2) threshing;
and (3) baling.
The cost of bringing the broom-corn up to the
harvest period is about the same as the cost of pro
ducing a crop of corn, but experienced growers
claim that the former crop requires $3 to $4 extra
expense an acre for the harvesting. After the
bloom stage is reached the quality of the brush
deteriorates rapidly, hence it is necessary to employ
a large force of men in order to get the crop all
harvested at the proper stage of development.
Cutting or Pulling.In Oklahoma and in other
localities where the dwarf type of broom-corn is
grown it is more convenient to pull the heads from
the inclosing sheath than to cut the head off with
a knife and then remove the sheath which incloses
the lower part of the head. If the seed is selected
carefully from plants ripening at the same time, a
32
 HARVESTING BROOM-CORN 33

crop may be secured which will ripen so evenly that

the entire field may be harvested at the same time
by pulling the brush and loading it into the wagons
directly. Unless precaution is taken to secure a uni
form stand of plants that will ripen evenly, it will
be necessary to go through the field two or three
times, each time pulling the heads that have reached
the proper stage of development. The heads should
be placed in piles on the ground and shaded by a
covering of stalks and blades.
Because of the partially inclosed head of the dwarf
varieties they are easily injured by rain at this
period. The sheath around the head holds moisture
and causes the brush to turn red, which very ma
terially reduces its market value. The greater height
of the standard type makes it necessary to bring the
heads down to a convenient height before they are
harvested. This is accomplished by a process called
"tabling." In the harvesting of standard broom-
corn three men can usually work together to good
advantage, since one man can table as fast as two
men can cut. One man walking backward between
the rows in advance of the cutters, bends down a
few stalks first from one row and then from the
other, in such a manner as to form a self-supporting
table of a convenient height, as shown in Figure 8.
Three men working together in this way can cut
and table about two acres per day. Rapid cutting
is an art that is acquired only by long practice. The
operator passes down between two tables and with
a small sharp knife cuts off the heads, at a point
six to eight inches below the attachment of the
 HARVESTING BROOM-CORN 35

straws. When the upper leaf sheath surrounds the

shank it is important that the knife cut through a
sufficient distance to sever the head but leave the
sheath partially attached, so that it will be left be
hind when the head is removed. A leather stall is
worn on the right forefinger, so that by grasping the
stalk between the finger and the knifeblade the head
may be severed by a pressure of the thumb on the
back of the knife blade. Not less than six inches of
stem should be left below the attachment of the
straws, but if more than eight inches of shank is left
the value of the brush is decreased.
As the brush is cut it is laid in small piles on alter
nate tables. The brush is so placed as to be within
easy reach from either side as a wagon is driven over
the empty table between.
Figure 9 shows the tabled broom-corn ready for
the cutters, and Figure 10 shows the cut brush piled
on the table and ready to be loaded as the wagon is
driven over the empty table to the right in the
photograph.
Hauling.Since the quality of the brush is in
jured by rain, it is essential that the cut brush should
be hauled to the scraper, seeded and put in curing
sheds as soon .as possible. In some sections the
brush is cured out of doors, but this method pro
duces a bleached head of very poor quality and one
that will not command the full market price.
Where broom-corn is grown on a limited scale an
ordinary handy wagon may be used to haul the
brush, but where the crop is grown on an extensive
scale a dump wagon (Figure 11) is usually em
36 BROOM-CORN CULTURE

ployed. As the wagon is driven over the empty

table a man on either side loads on the piles of brush
from the adjacent tables. The seed heads are piled
on the rack in a double row with the butts lapping
at the middle in order to hold the piles in place. By
means of the dumping arrangement shown in the
cut, the work of unloading is accomplished very
quickly. After dropping a lever to the ground the

Fig. 11. Dump wagon for hauling the brush from the field.

wagon is pulled forward until the bed is shoved

back and tilted so that the rear end rests on the
ground. The end gate is now removed and a second
forward movement of the wagon allows the brush
to slip off onto the ground in the same order as it
was piled on the wagon.
Sorting.During harvest a number of plants will
be found bearing heads with coarse thick centers
or with brush so snarly as to be of no value. These
plants should be discarded and left in the field uncut.
In addition to these useless plants there will always
 HARVESTING BROOM-CORN 37

be found a small percentage of crooked brush which

must be sorted out before the crop is marketed.
The amount of crooked brush is greatly increased
if the harvesting is delayed until the seeds are well
formed, since the weight of the seed may become
sufficient to cause the straws to bend over just above
the attachment to the
stem, as shown at L, Fig
ure 3. The same result
may be produced by wet
weather just before har
vest time. The weight of
water which clings to the
heads may be sufficient to
bend the straw down
ward.
In regions where the
seed is allowed to ripen
the plants are broken over
before the seed is formed,
so that the heads may
hang pendent and produce
a straight brush as well Fis- 12.- Sm'" p?wer s"'*er or
0 removing seeds from the brush.
as a crop of seed.
The separation of the crooked brush from the
straight heads can be accomplished most easily
while the heads are in small piles in the field, where
it is easy to distinguish the inferior material. The
two grades resulting from this sorting should be
handled and marketed separately, since a few
crooked heads will lower the value of the entire
bale. The crooked material will sell for about half
38
 HARVESTING BROOM-CORN

as much as the straight heads, and is much more

difficult to bale; hence it is quite desirable that
the crop should contain a minimum amount of
crooked heads. Careful seed selection and prompt
harvesting at the bloom stage will have a tendency
to reduce the number of undesirable heads.
Scraping or Threshing.Before the broom-corn
can be baled and marketed the seed must be re
moved from the brush. This is accomplished by
bringing the seed heads in contact with a revolving
cylinder the surface of which is set with spikes or
long teeth, as shown in Figure 12. If the acreage is
limited this small power machine or a hand scraper
will be sufficient to thresh the crop, but where
broom-corn is grown extensively a large power out
fit (Figure 13) is required. A thresher of this kind
costs about $200 and has a daily capacity of 30 to 40
acres if 15 to 20 men are provided to handle the
material. In this process the heads do not pass
between the revolving cylinders, as in the case of a
grain thresher. The brush is held firmly by a
toothed belt which brings the seed heads into con
tact with the cylinders in such a manner as to thor
oughly remove the seed. After passing the cylinder
the brush is deposited on a platform at the side
opposite to the point of entrance. The seed is col
lected at the bottom of the machine and removed by
a conveyer situated at the end of the machine oppo
site the cylinders.
Curing and Bulking.From the thresher the brush
is taken to drying sheds, where it should be allowed
to cure for three or four weeks before it is baled.
40
 HARVESTING BROOM-CORN 41

It is essential that the curing should proceed

rapidly, but exposure to strong light will destroy the 1
fresh color which is demanded by the manufacturer.
Brush that has been long exposed to the weather or
cured in the field is very
inferior in quality and
does not command a good
price on the market.
In the important
broom-corn sections spe
cial curing sheds are pro
vided. The building
shown in Figure 14 is
typical of the Illinois
region and exhibits the
essential features of a
good shed, namely, a
tight roof with wide pro
jecting eaves and ample
provision for the free cir
culation of air.
To care for 20 acres of
broom-corn will require
a shed about 24 feet long, 16 feet wide and 10 feet
high to the eaves. A second 20 acres may be cured
in this shed the same season if the planting is so
arranged as to have the second field ready for
harvest three or four weeks later than the first plant
ing, since the first crop will be ready to bulk down
by the time the second planting has reached the
harvest stage.
During the curing season these sheds are used
 HARVESTING BROOM-CORN 43

exclusively for broom-corn, but during the "

remainder of the year they may be used for hay
barns or for the storage of machinery.
A common method of construction is to support
the roof by means of uprights placed eight feet apart,
and nail to these uprights narrow strips 4 inches
apart and running lengthwise of the shed. A large
number of slats or strips 2 inches wide and 8 feet
long are provided for shelves upon which the brush
is to rest. But these are not put in place until the
shed is being filled. Beginning near the ground the
first shelf is formed by placing two of these strips
across the section parallel to each other and about
1 foot apart, with their ends supported by the low
est longitudinal strips. The brush is then spread
evenly over this shelf to the depth of 3 inches, and
then a second shelf is constructed in the same man
ner as the first. This process is repeated until the
entire shed is filled with shelves 4 inches apart and
each carrying a layer of brush three inches deep. It
is necessary to keep the layers thin, in order to
secure a good air circulation and thus facilitate the
curing and drying of the brush.
Figure 15 shows the interior of an Ohio shed in
which the shelves have been constructed of light
poles instead of sawed strips.
If warm, dry, weather prevails the brush will be
ready to bulk down in three or four weeks. It
should not be taken from the shelves, however, until
the stems show no signs of moisture when squeezed
or twisted. If left on the slats in the curing shed too
44 BKOOM-CORN CULTURE

long, the quality of the brush will be injured by

bleaching.
In the bulking process the brush is removed from
the shelves and piled in straight, compact ricks, from
which it is taken direct to the baler as soon as it is
thoroughly dry.

Fig. 17. A well-constructed bale of broom-corn as it was received at the

factory.

Baling.Practically all of the broom-corn grown

in the United States is marketed in the bale. In
the process of baling the brush is compressed into
tight packages and bound with wire. This is usu
ally accomplished by means of a horse or hand-
power machine which requires a force of six or eight
men for its operation at full capacity.
 HARVESTING BROOM-CORN 45

The broom-corn is taken up from the bulk by

small arm loads and after butting the brush (Figure
14) it is passed to the man in the baler (Figure 16),
who builds up a double tier with the butt ends of the
brush to the outside and the tops lapping at the cen
ter. After the pressure has been applied, heavy No.
9 wire is passed around the bale at five different
points. It is necessary to use large wire to prevent
the brush from being cut. The bale as it comes
from the press is usually about 45 inches in length
and width by 24 inches in thickness, and weighs 300
to 400 pounds, with an average of about 340 pounds.
Figure 17 shows the appearance of a properly con
structed bale.
With a crew of seven or eight men a good horse
power baler will put up 10 tons per day. Manu
facturers are becoming more exacting in their re
quirements that the broom-corn which they buy
shall have been thoroughly seeded and properly
baled. An average-sized bale will make about 15
dozen brooms.
4G
 CHAPTER IX

BROOM-CORN BY-PRODUCTS

In sections where the plants are allowed to ripen

the broom-corn seed is used for feed, but in the im
portant broom-corn producing sections the brush is
harvested during the blossom stage, and very little
seed is secured.
Feeding tests with the fodder of standard broom-
corn has shown that the stalks are woody and un
palatable, and that they are of little value for feed
ing purposes. But if cut immediately after the brush
is harvested the dwarf varieties produce a fodder
almost equal in feeding value to corn stover. Fig
ure 18 shows a field of dwarf broom-corn which has
been cut and shocked. After threshing the stalks
may be used for forage.
In 1909 the United States Department of Agricul
ture began a series of tests to determine the value of
broom-corn stalks for the manufacture of paper.
Since broom-corn has been selected for the produc
tion of a larger quantity and a better quality of
brush, it is natural that the production of fiber in
one part should be correlated with a higher quality
of fiber in the whole plant. As a result of these
experiments it was found that the broom-corn stalk
is suitable, so far as quality and yield of pulp is
concerned, for immediate use in paper making. It
reduces to pulp rapidly and with a small consump
47
48 BROOM-CORN CULTURE

tion of steam and chemicals, the time being three

to four hours as compared with eight to twelve
hours for wood pulp.
The most serious disadvantage is the limited pro
duction of the raw material, the total of which does
not amount to more than 1,000 tons for the entire
United States.
The stalks when extracted for an hour under steam
pressure, yield a quantity of soluble solids which
contain practically all of the food value of the raw
material. These tests indicate that if they can be
secured in sufficiently large quantities, the broom-
corn stalks can be pulped at a profit without taking
into consideration the value of the food extract.
 CHAPTER X

THE MANUFACTURE OF BROOMS

In former years many farmers raised a small

quantity of broom-corn for the purpose of supplying
their household with brooms. The crop was har
vested, cured and made into brooms by the farmer
and the members of his family. In some cases the
entire manufacturing process was completed with
out the aid of machinery, while in other cases the
handling of the crop was facilitated by the use of
very simple homemade machines which were
operated by hand.
According to the Twelfth Census, there are in the
United States 1,526 broom and brush manufacturing
establishments, with a capital of $9,616,000. Among
the states, Illinois takes the lead with 156 factories,
representing a total capital of $500,000.
At the present time the manufacture of brooms
in the home has been almost entirely superseded by
the factory method. And hand machines have been
supplanted by power machines. With the hand
machines one man can make seven or eight dozen
brooms per day, while with power machines the
process is divided between several operators and
the output very much increased. Some of the larger
manufacturing establishments turn out more than
a thousand dozen finished brooms per day.
Homemade Brooms.Several years ago a writer
49
5 BROOM-CORN CULTURE

for the American Agriculturist gave the following

directions fori making brooms by hand: "When
ready to go to work, take as much as will be needed
for the number of brooms to be made, and set the
stalk portions in water up to the brush, and leave
them to soak an hour or two. When softened, gather
in the hands enough for a broom, with the largest
and best stalks on the outside in regular order. The
good appearance of the broom when finished will
depend upon the evenness of the brush and proper
arrangement of the outside layers. Next, fasten a
strong small cord to the ceiling, with a loop for the
foot in the lower end, or tie a stick to the cord as a
sort of treadle upon which to place the foot. Wind
this cord two or three times around the brush.
Grasp the brush firmly in both hands and roll it
around several times, increasing the pressure with
the foot. Instead of the foot, some use a lever upon
the lower end of the cord, one end of the lever being
placed under the work-bench, and the other held by
a boy, who can give the required pressure. The
next operation is to wind on a strong twine for a
space of iyi or 2 inches. This is best done by rolling
the pressing cord close up next to the brush, wind
the twine on, and roll off the cord towards the end,
following it with the twine. To make a neat knot
at the end, double one end of the twine and lay it
along the outside of the stalks, letting the loose end
lie out at the left. When the twine is all on, slip
the right end through the loop, and draw the left
end so as to bring the loop in under the coil of twine ;
then cut off the two ends close in to the coil. No
 THE MANUFACTURE OF BROOMS

knot will now be visible, as the loop is out of sight,

and the ends are securely fastened.
"If a flat broom is to be made, which is usually the
desirable form, press the brush part between two
narrow boards fastened near together at one end
with a piece of strong leather nailed on very
securely. The other end of the boards may be held

Fig. 19. Tread-power machine for the manufacture of brooms by hand.

together with a string. Instead of these boards, the

brush may be put between two short boards, and
screwed into a vise. The sewing is the next step.
For this, a large needle of iron or steel will be re
quired, or one of strong hard wood will answer, it
should be six to eight inches in length. At the point
where you wish to fasten the brush portion, say
three or four inches below the winding cord, wind a
52 BROOM-CORN CULTURE

twine once, or better twice around, and tie it firmly,

leaving enough of one end to sew with. Now sew
through and through the brush, letting the twine
at each stitch pass around the portion you have tied
on, Point the needle forward in making each stitch
so as to have it come out on the opposite side a little
further along each time. A second twine may be
tied around, and a second sewing may then be made

Fig. 20. Broom-corn sizer for assorting the brush according to length.

further towards the lower end. Three sewings are

sometimes made. Two will generally be enough,
except where the brush is very long. The broom
is now ready for its handle. To put this in place,
sharpen the lower end of the handle, and drive it
exactly in the center of the neck of the broom, and
fasten it with two small nails upon opposite sides,
and the broom is complete. The lower ends of the
brush may need clipping a little to make them even.
 THE MANUFACTURE OF BROOMS 53

With a little practice a very neat broom may thus

be made. They may be made still more tasteful,
though not stronger nor more durable, by using wire
instead of twine, and by paring down the stalks, so
as to make a smaller, neater shank."
A slightly different method is described by an
other writer to the same paper. He says: "Put
the butt-ends of the brush in warm water to soak
awhile. When sufficiently softened, tack one end
of a strong twine to the broom handle, about three
inches from its lower end. Fasten the other end of
the string, which is about two feet long, to a small
round stick upon which you step with both feet. Lay
on the brush, one stalk at a time, and give the handle
a turn sufficient to hold each new stalk firmly. Con
tinue putting on and winding, until three layers have
been secured, pulling upward as the handle is turned
to tighten the string. Now commence another row
nearer the lower end of the handle, and proceed as
before, finishing the third course or tier with the
longest and finest brush. Wind the cord around
snugly a few times after the brush is all on, and
fasten the end with a carpet tack. To make a broad
or flat broom, more of the brush may be put upon
two opposite sides than upon the other portions.
Then tie the two ends of a string the right length,
slip it over the handle, and to a suitable place upon
the broom, and sew. You now have as neat a broom
as you can buy, and stronger than most of those in the
market. With a little practice they can be made
very quickly. Wire can be used instead of twine."
54 BROOM-CORN CULTURE

Factory-Made Brooms.At the present time

practically all of the broom-corn grown in the
United States is manufactured into brooms in large
factories which are equipped with machines for
handling the crop in an economical manner.

Fig. 21. Broom-winding machine used in large factories.

In some of the small factories the machines are

operated by hand, but the larger establishments
make use of power machines for all of the processes
of converting the raw material into finished brooms
or whisks. Figure 19 shows a tread-power machine
 THE MANUFACTURE OF BROOMS 55

by which one man can make from six' to eight dozen

brooms per day. It consists of a table with a pro
jecting wing under which is a revolving hollow
shaft, which serves as a socket (a) to receive the
broom handle. The socket is revolved by means of
a belt from the treadle (&).
The broom-handle is placed in this socket, with
seven or eight inches of the butt exposed, and held
fast by a setscrew. A tack is driven part way in,
about an inch and a half from the end of the handle,
and the wire wound around it; the tack is then
driven down, and the wire thus fastened. The han
dle is revolved two or three times to give the wire
a firm hold around it before any brush is put on.
The wire is wound on a reel, shown in the engraving
at c, passes around three pulleys, by which the
requisite tension is procured, and then passes to the
broom handle. When the wire is properly fastened,
the operator takes a handful of coarse, rough brush,
and holds the stalks beneath the wire as the handle
turns, spreading them smoothly, and pounding them
down closely with a flat pounder, made something
like a common potato masher, which is used in
kitchens, but is flat or oval instead of round. This
brush is the filling, and about three small handfuls
are needed for each broom. The wire should be
wound around the filling three or four times, and as
the brush revolves the stalks are smoothed off with
a sharp knife just above the last turn of the wire.
The wire is then slipped off the brush on to the
handle, and wound around it once about half an inch
above the smoothed end of the stalks. Then a hand
56 BROOM-CORN CULTURE

ful of the sorted brush, suitable for the kind of

broom to be made, is taken in the left hand, and
with the knife the stalks are cut half through with
a sloping cut half an inch above the straw, and the

Fig. 22. Broom stitcher. Capacity, four to seven dozen brooms per hour.

half of the stalk split off. The stalks are then placed
beneath the wire so that it may be wound exactly over
where they were cut. The treadle is turned until
the stalks are all bound on, when another handful
 THE MANUFACTURE OF BROOMS 57

is taken and treated precisely the same way, and

then finally another handful. Each handful consists
of six or eight stalks, and they should be placed
smoothly and close together under the wire. The
wire is bound evenly around the stalks until there
is sufficient to hold the broom firmly together, when
it is fastened with a tack as at the commencement.
The pounder is constantly used to pack the brush.
The broom is now round in form, and must
be placed between a pair of clamps and securely
stitched. When the stitch
ing has been completed
the broom is removed
from the clamps and
trimmed by means of a
clipping machine, shown
in Figure 23.
In the large factories
the broom-corn is taken
directly from the bale and
fed into a sizer similar to . , ~ Clipper for
Fig. 23. trimming
. . the
,
the one shown in Figure ends of the brooms.
20. This machine cuts
off the extra lengths of stalks and distributes each
size of corn into separate compartments, sorting it
into seven lengths, from eleven inches upward. One-
eighth horsepower is required to operate a machine
which will size from 1,000 to 1,500 pounds of brush
a day. A broom-winding machine such as used in
large factories is shown in Figure 21. A good
broom maker, with the aid of a boy, can wind five
hundred brooms per day with this equipment.
58 BROOM-CORN CULTURE

Figure 22 is the rear view of a power stitcher

which has a capacity of from four to seven dozen
brooms per hour, according to the skill of the
operator and the style and the size of the broom
being sewed. All sizes and shapes of brooms may
be stitched on this machine by simply changing the
shaping jaws which clamp the broom in position.
In addition to these machines a factory should
have a hurl cutter and sizer, broom clippers (Fig
ure 23), and a power scraper for removing the seed
from the brush that has been carelessly handled
before shipment. The power scraper shown in Fig
ure 24 is provided with a fan for carrying away the
seeds and dust. The fan should be connected with
a chute leading outside of the room in which the
scraper is being operated.

Fig. 24. Small power scraper with fan for car

rying away the seeds and dust.
 INDEX

Page
Bales, size and weight 45
Baling the brush 44
Broom-corn, insect enemies of 28
description of the plant 6
price fluctuation 4
varieties 6
Broom factories in the United States 49
Broom machines, hand 55
power 57
Brooms, factory-made 49
home made 49
Brush, causes of crooked 37
curing and bulking , 39
scraping or threshing 39
sorting of 36
By-products of broom-corn 47
Center of production 1
Chinch bug, enemy of broom-corn 28
Choice of land 14
Climatic conditions, dependence upon 12
Clipper, broom 58
Cultivation of broom-corn 18
frequency and method 19
Curing the brush 39
Cutting the brush 33
Date of planting 16
Dump wagon for hauling broom-corn 36
Dwarf broom-corn 6
characteristics 9
uses 7
Enemies of broom-corn 27
Export trade 5
Fodder, broom-corn 47
Harvesting broom-corn 29
bad results from late 37
cost of , 31
cutting or pulling 31
piling and hauling 35
Hauling the brush 35
Hurl cutting 58
Insect enemies of broom-corn 28
59
60 INDEX

Page
Land, choice of 14
Machines used in the manufacture of brooms 55
hurl cutter 58
Manufacture of brooms 49
sizing 57
stitching 57
winding 57
Paper pulp from broom-corn stalks 47
Piling the brush 35
Plant, description of the broom-corn 6
Planting, date and method 16
Preparation of the seedbed 15
Price of broom-corn 3
Production of broom-corn in the United States 2
by states 4
center of 1
Regions best suited for different types 13
Seed, harvesting and storage 23
method of securing good 21
smut treatment of 27
testing vitality of 25
yield and weight 23
Seedbed, preparation of 15
Sheds, curing, construction of 43
dimensions of 41
Sizer 57
Smut, treatment for 27
Soils for broom-corn 12
Sorting the brush 36
Standard broom-corn 7
yield 9
Stitcher 57
Storage of seed 23
Tabling broom-corn : 33
Threshing or scraping the brush 39
Threshing machines 39
Types of broom-corn 13
regions best suited to different types 13
Varieties of broom-corn 6
Vitality of broom-corn seed 25
testing of 25
Wagon, dump, for hauling broom-corn 36
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